


Against the Odds

by Azhwi, LosttotheHoping



Series: The Sand Trails' Universe [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Pool
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-19
Updated: 2015-04-19
Packaged: 2018-03-24 17:39:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3777511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azhwi/pseuds/Azhwi, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LosttotheHoping/pseuds/LosttotheHoping
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hidan and Kakuzu are regulars at a bar, but so is a Hyuuga. The game is on and the bets are flying! Collaboration with the amazing Lost! Rated for Hidan's mouth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Call the Pocket

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place in the Sand Trails universe just before chapter 24, possibly as far back as 22, though it's only a minor mention.  
> Not necessary to read that first.
> 
> Yeah... high school kids at a bar with a pool table. What? It happens!

Hyuuga Hinata, heir to the Hyuuga technological empire and all of its fortune, was much looked after, doted upon, and driven up the wall by a ceaseless stream of attendants. Occasionally, Hinata would be able to escape, and when she did, she made a bee-line for that dingy bar down in the back roads of town.

It was quiet, and best of all, nobody knew who she was. Occasionally, she'd play a game of pool, or let a guy pick her up to dance to the jukebox music. No one ever asked her for an ID, but then she never ordered alcohol anyway, so they didn't need to.

This place was where she often angsted after an unsuccessful attempt at talking to Naruto, or after having a run-in with her obstinate, irritating cousin. And sometimes it was just nice to pretend she was nobody special. Maybe she'd play pool tonight…

"HOO YA! EAT THAT, FUCKER!" a voice screamed as she entered. It was Hidan, a guy from school, and his best friend. They were there almost every time she came, plowing through opponents like there was no concern for loss.

"Oh, man! Not again!" his current victi—er, opponent, moaned.

Kakuzu had swiped the man's money up and was counting it. "Care for a rematch?" he asked with a smirk.

"Hell no, I know a lost cause when I see one," the much older man complained, and stalked toward the bar to get a drink.

"Any other suckers man enough to play me?" Hidan asked, leering around at the semi-crowded bar.

Hinata narrowed her eyes. It would be nice, she mused, to shut him up. There wasn't anyone in the bar who welcomed Hidan. He was nothing but a nuisance and a braggart.

It took her a moment to realize she was already stepping forward, lifting her chin and letting a completely daring smirk drift across her lips.

Today, Naruto had brushed her off completely. He had been too busy talking to Sasuke to notice that she had greeted him at the doors of the school. Her blonde crush had walked right past her even though Uchiha had turned his head as they passed to give her a pitying look.

The same pitying looks that several of the bar patrons were giving her now.

She stopped at the other side of the table, eyelids lowered, one hand propped up on her hip, cool gaze on the albino across from her.

"Those were men," God, she felt  _fearless_ , "let's see how you are against a woman."

Hidan looked surprised for half a second (he couldn't tell what size her boobs were!) before he grinned evilly. "Bring it on, bitch."

Kakuzu elbowed him. "Use some respect for the lady. After all, she's about to go broke."

"True, true," Hidan said with a sage nod. "Well, in that case…" He finished putting the pool balls in the racket and lifted the plastic triangle. "Ladies first." He smirked, eyes raking up and down her. Ha, nice ass.

The blue-haired girl lifted a single brow, picked up the pool cue, and broke the balls. And from there, systematically put every single one of her stripes into the pockets. With style.

With each strike of the cue, Hinata took note of where the cue ball stopped, what angles she needed, what positions she needed to take around, and  _on_ , the table, and called every single shot.

Hidan, by the end of the game, was nearly spitting with fury. "Oi! I want a rematch, you fucking sleaze!" he yelled angrily.

And Kakuzu was nodding, a strange look on his face. "Yes. A rematch would be preferable." He eyed the small girl across the table. Did he know her from somewhere…?

Thoughtfully pocketing the fifty that she had received, Hinata pursed her lips. Her luck was good; that had been a really good break and she had accomplished what she wanted… "I don't see why I should." She shrugged at the two of them. "I only wanted the one game."

Kakuzu smiled at that. "It's probably wise," he agreed. "That had been a fluke, after all…" He paused a beat, and then let the ball drop. "How else could a woman win against us?"

She couldn't help it, she laughed. Despite her earlier calm words, adrenaline was still thrumming through her and she was grinning like she didn't have a care in the world. A far cry from her usual demure little smile at home.

"How indeed," Hinata replied with a smirk. Then she tilted her head to the side and pretended to listen for a moment. "Actually, maybe later. I think I'll go dance for a bit." And she turned towards the dance floor.

Hidan watched her walk off, jaw hanging open and hands frozen midway between his mouth and the table.

Kakuzu quirked a brow. What a funny expression. Apathetically, he reached over and shut Hidan's mouth. "You'll let a fly in."

Hidan blinked and looked at him. Then, a slow, sinister smirk spread across his face. "Sorry, dude, but I have a chick to fuck."

Kakuzu shrugged. "Whatever. We made a profit tonight, so I'm going home."

"Yeah, sure, okay," Hidan said, already walking toward the girl on the dance floor. "Hey, wait! You look familiar, have we met?" he asked, consciously keeping the swearing down. He came to a stop next to the girl.

Hinata blinked once, and then looked up at Hidan. He was taller when he was standing right friggin next to her. "Nope."

"Oh." He blinked, then shrugged and smirked at her. "You know, that's a nice outfit… But do you know what else would look great on you?" he asked, eying her up and down.

Her eyebrows rose and Hinata just managed to keep herself from gaping. He wasn't actually… Hidan? Her? Really? Good God, maybe Neji did have it right, the man was an idiot. Shaking her head, she decided that the best course of action was to just walk away, but as she started to move, his hand reached out and grabbed her elbow. Not hard, but enough to make her stop again.

"Aww, c'mon, at least gimme a name? And maybe a time and place?"

 _He is so lucky Neji isn't here_ , she thought immediately, then scowled at the shifting crowd ahead of her. No, she was _glad_ Neji wasn't here. She was fully capable of dealing with… this.

Turning, Hinata frowned up at Hidan. Like hell she was giving him her name. She didn't even think about his other requests. "No," she said firmly, and twisted out of his grip.

"Oh, c'mon, I won't  _bite_ ," Hidan protested, following as she moved away. "Well, not unless you ask. I mean, if you're into that, it's cool. But I swear, I'll make every minute like sleeping with a god! After all, I'm named after one." He grinned.

Back at their table, Kakuzu shook his head. This was doomed to fail, and Hidan would crash and burn. … After all, he was an imbecile.

Hinata had stalled halfway to the jukebox and spent a few minutes blinking at the floor. She didn't know what was worse, the blush she felt creeping up her neck or the fact that Hidan just would not stop. And his pick-up lines were  _horrible!_

Sighing, she turned and looked at him, and  _really_ looked at him. Ignoring the smirk that he had going, he actually was rather handsome. If you liked pale skin. And red eyes. But she didn't really have grounds to point since she had lilac eyes and ivory skin.

He dressed decently at least. She snorted, flicking her eyes back up to his. A sliver of advice from Ino surfaced and Hinata actually gave this situation a thought.

"Can you dance?"

Hidan blinked. He'd honestly expected more resistance. Oh well, point for him. "Yeah? Kakuzu and I frequent his club." He pointed at his friend, who somehow psychically knew he was talking about him (even though his head was lowered and his back was turned) and flipped him the bird. "Got a lotta practice. Why, you wanna dance?" he asked, holding a hand out. It was almost civil. Almost.

"Hmm," Hinata stalled. The little image of Ino had started to jump up and down in glee. "If I dance with you, will you leave me alone for the rest of the night?"

He thought about it. Thought about it very hard. He opened his mouth to ask if—at the end of 'rest of the night'—he would get to fuck her. Stopped. Narrowed his eyes at her. "Is that a trick question?"

Hinata let out a sigh in frustration. "No, it isn't." She raked her fingers through her hair and glared at him. "Look, I don't want to leave right now. But I don't want you tailing me for the rest of the night. You're decent, I'll give you that. So, we dance, and then we go our separate ways." Watching his expression, she held up a hand. "Or I stonewall you until one of us leaves."

Hidan eyed her. He wasn't particularly worried about the bouncer. If he really  _wanted_ to make an issue of it, then he could have Kakuzu deal with the guy. But he didn't feel like making an issue of it. "Alright, fine," he said. "Guess I'll take whatever the fuck I can get." He smirked.

"That's the idea." She grinned right back at him. "I'll even let you choose the song."

"Oh, fuck yeah!" he cheered and turned toward the jukebox.

"I'm gone, Hidan. Don't get yourself arrested; I won't bail you," Kakuzu said, passing through toward the door.

Hidan waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, yeah, fuck you." He flicked through the songs and picked a rap metal song before turning and grinning. "Okay, sexy, get your ass over here and let's fucking dance."

She was really glad Neji wasn't here. Hinata glanced at Hidan's smirk and travelled the length of his body and back up again. This might actually be enjoyable…

xXx

Stretching out, Kisame grinned at the makeshift shelter and sighed, content with the world. Since finding the hidden spot in the bushes, he and Hidan had hollowed the space out enough to be comfortable. As long as it didn't rain or snowed or… well did anything to add water to the caked dirt below him.

Sure, Naruto's hidey hole in the ceiling was near fool-proof, but nothing beat lying outside in the sun.

Too bad the quad was filled with noisy little brats though.

"Heh, I shoulda done this fucking  _months_  ago," Hidan snickered, and shot another spit wad at Ino, who yelped and glanced around furiously. But she couldn't see him, since he was safely hidden behind a bush, peering through a hole at the quad proper.

"As long as she doesn't figure out it's you," sharky replied. "At some point Ibiki is going to come through here."

"Yeah, yeah, shut the fuck up," Hidan retorted and searched the group of kids for his next victim. Shikamaru was too lazy to duck, so no fun there. He'd already gotten Ino. Choji was too far away. Sasuke was brooding—okay, Sasuke it was.

*Plat!* The younger Uchiha brother jerked as something hit him on the temple and fell into his lap. What the fu—He blinked. A spitball? His hand immediately came up to wipe the slime from his face.

Jerking his head up, Sasuke glared around before settling his ire on the bushes nearby.  _Fuckers_! He brushed the gooey ball of paper from his lap and picked up a pebble. Which he whipped at the heart of the older teens hiding spot.  _Take that_!

Hidan ducked, grinning, and the rock sailed over his head. Then he straightened and pulled out some more paper. This exchange went on for a while before Hidan went still. Normally, this would be attributed to the bell ringing and signaling the end of lunch. But that couldn't account for the wide eyes and slow grin. Before Kisame could ask what was up, Hidan had darted from the bushes and nearly bowled Naruto over.

"Blondie!" he yelped as Sasuke and Shikamaru came to see what was happening. Hidan pointed toward a girl who had exited the cafeteria proper with a handful of others, going toward a corner of the quad with an obento box. "Who's that?"

Naruto blinked and followed his gaze. "Eh?" He tried to follow the older male's gaze, only to fail in a flood of confusion. "Who?"

By this time, Kisame was standing up too and peering over at where Hidan was excitedly pointing. What the hell was up with him? They were gonna get seen!

"The girl, the one with that Neji bastard," Hidan insisted, fingers tightening on Naruto's shoulders.

Naruto blinked and looked again. "Oooh, Hinata-chan! She's in my year, I think… Kind of quiet, weird… wait, why do you wanna know?" he backtracked, blinking at the albino.

Who was letting go of him with a strange leer on his face. "Thanks, see ya around, kid," he said, heading toward the Hyuugas.

Naruto frowned. "Okay…"

 

On the other side of the quad, Hinata lifted her face and closed her eyes for just a bare second. The sun felt so good after being locked up in the classroom for hours. Normally, Neji would sequester the two of them elsewhere for her lunch period, but today she had pleaded the need for air. He had even softened up enough to indulge her cravings for a slushy from the cafeteria.

Today was a good day. She opened her eyes and smiled warmly at her cousin. He wasn't so bad some days.

"Where do you want to sit?" Neji asked, ignoring the look in his usual cool fashion.

Trying not to roll her eyes at Neji's attitude, Hinata shrugged. She pointed at a table nearby. "Is there okay, Neji-kun?" Some other teens had just left and thankfully they had taken their garbage with them.

"Fine." They took their seats, and Neji had just taken a bite of rice when someone sat down across from them. He blinked and looked up, somewhat surprised to find Jashin Hidan there.

"Hey there,  _Hinata-chan_ ," he said, as if making some sort of inside joke between them.

Neji's eyes narrowed, but his mouth was full. He looked at his cousin to find her pale.

 _No…_ She shouldn't have danced with him. She shouldn't have beaten him. She shouldn't have stepped up. Hinata stared at Hidan for all of ten seconds.  _How did… Who told him?_

"Fuck!"

It took her another second to realize that dear, proper Neji was blinking at her.  _Oh crap, I said that out loud didn't I?_ This day officially sucked.

Hidan was grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary. "Well, I'd like to, but you keep saying no."

Neji's gaze darted back to Hidan's face, then Hinata, then Hidan again. Silvery eyes narrowed. He swallowed his food. "Care to run that by me again, Jashin?" he asked, a threat to the words.

Hidan eyed him, then looked at Hinata. "Aah, family.  _Hyuuga_  Hinata, then.  _Nice_." He smirked. "What are you two, siblings? Cousins?" He looked at Hinata, clearly wanting her to answer.

Flicking a glance down at Neji, Hinata took a fortifying breath.  _Hidan, you asshole._ "Cousins," she gritted out. This was bad… so bad…

" _Cousins_. That's fucking awesome. You look like siblings," Hidan said conversationally.

Neji frowned. "Is there a particular reason you're harassing my cousin, Jashin?" he demanded irately.

Hidan's brows lifted and he looked at her again. "He doesn't know?" he asked, in mock surprise.

"Know what?" Neji asked, looking at Hinata questioningly.

Hidan spoke again before she could. "We met the other day. Arcade. She  _totally_ trounced my ass."

Glaring at him hadn't shut him up, but he hadn't outed her either. Yet. Hinata nodded cautiously for Neji's benefit, hard eyes never leaving Hidan's red ones. "It was fun," she said blithely. "Did you want to talk about something,  _Jashin_?"

"Aww, c'mon, just Hidan. I  _insist_ ," Hidan replied, still grinning.

Neji was glaring at him, but it was mostly in confusion. He was missing something.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over the table. They all looked, and Hidan huffed. "Get your fucking big ass out of my sunlight, cocksucker!" he snapped.

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes and sat on the other side of the albino, before driving a sharp under-cut into his side. "Watch how you talk to me, asshole," the bigger boy snapped, and then went to his cafeteria bought food. The tardy bell rang, but went ignored by those sitting at the table.

"I don't know you that well, Jashin," Hinata said sweetly.  _Like hell I'm going to call you by first name in front of Neji! I'll never get out of the house._  Then again, if she never got out of the house, she wouldn't ever have to deal with this loon at the bar. It was almost worth it.

"If you say so," Hidan wheezed, grimacing. "Fuck, Kakuzu, whose shit did you step in this morning?"

"Shut your mouth," Kakuzu snapped. "Have you eaten."

"Nah, not hungry. Well…" He smirked at Hinata. "Not for lunch."

Beside her, Neji went stiff as a board. She glanced at him startled as he stood abruptly from his spot at the table. "Hinata, we are leaving," he announced as he gathered their lunches.

"O-okay, Neji-kun," she replied, honestly surprised.

Kakuzu glanced at Hidan as he got up too. Was this idiot  _serious_?

"Hey, how do you get off telling her what the fuck she can do?" Hidan asked, annoyed with the Hyuuga bastard. He told himself it was because he was having fun. "Who fucking died and made you king, bastard?"

For the second time in the past five minutes, Hinata froze. _Oh, Neji._.. This time, she rose from the bench, leveling a glare at the albino. "Enough," she commanded, earning a flicker of a glance from her cousin. "He's just looking out for me. That's all."

Neji watched as his pale, younger, smaller, female charge, collected their obentos and turned away from all of them, back straight. She was already a few steps away when Neji realized he was supposed to follow her. Absently, he noted that she hadn't stuttered.

After they'd left, Hidan sighed. "I fucked that up." It wasn't a question.

"Idiot," Kakuzu muttered. "Twenty dollars for my silence."

Hidan blinked and looked at him. "Huh?" he asked, surprised. "What the fuck are you talking about, bitch?"

"Your crush on the Hyuuga girl," Kakuzu deadpanned, and then added, "Cunt."

"WHAT?!"

xXx

A few days later, Hinata flicked on the desk lamp and tried to focus on the textbook below her nose. But she was so tired.

She had stayed up late last night, wavering back and forth between running off to the bar and finding Hidan and shoving his face into the pool table or staying home and calling Tenten.

The doe-eyed girl knew exactly what Neji was like and what limitations Hinata dealt with at home. In fact, Tenten had been the one to teach her how to play pool and poker.

In the end, Hinata had called her.

"Hello, Tenten?"

 _"Hey, Hinata! What's up? Is Neji being an ass again?"_  Tenten asked enthusiastically.

"Ahh," Hinata paused. "Not Neji. One of the guys at school caught me at the bar." Hidan's smirk and the memory of them dancing flashed through her eyes. "Oh crap, Tenten. I'm in so much trouble!" she moaned.

Tenten paused. " _Okay, hon. Back up and tell me everything from the beginning. Who caught you at the bar?_ "

Locking her door, Hinata huddled in the furthest corner. "A guy named Hidan. I beat him at pool." The last part came out in a whisper.

Tenten frowned. " _Hidan…? Isn't that one of Itachi's friends?_ " she asked, thinking back. " _He was at a party Neji took me to a while ago… wait, so what's going on? Is he harassing you? You can tell Lee, he'll go to your rescue any time! Or I could kick Hidan's butt too!_ "

"No! No, well, yes, he's harassing me at school, but I should have thought of that first. So, that's my fault," she hastened to say. "No, it's just that, with Hidan noticing me  _there_ , he found me at school. And—I—he—" Hinata let her head rest on her bend knees. "He doesn't see me the same way that everyone else is supposed to. And, I want to stand up to him, but not there. Not at school with everyone watching. Do you see?"

Tenten hummed and then fell silent for a tick. " _Okay, let me get this straight… Hidan treats you like a person, an equal? Or he treats you badly?_ " she asked, confused.

"Both?"

A pause. " _That's crap_ ," Tenten said bluntly. " _It's one or the other. And it sounds to me like it's one, but you wish it was the other. The question is, which way does it go? How does he actually treat you, Hinata?_ "

Hinata cringed. How does he treat her? "He… Well, he doesn't… Wh-what I'm trying to say is—Ah crap. He knows I can beat him at pool and he wants a rematch. He thinks I'm attractive enough to dance with, both on the dance floor and off. He actually…" she trailed off, eyes widening as she went over their past interactions. "He respected my wishes and didn't force me when I told him no. He accepted a compromise on my terms. And while he went behind my back to get my name, he told Neji off for ordering me around…"

The pause was longer this time. " _Uh, wow. I didn't know he was capable of civility. Well, alright, then. So what's the problem, Hinata? It sounds like he isn't as big an issue as you made it sound to begin with. I mean, is all this so terrible?_ "

"But he confronted me at school!" Hinata hissed. "He approached me while I was with Neji. He near flirted with me while Neji-kun was sitting right next to me! And then when he told Neji off…" She paused. Hidan couldn't have known her uncle had died a few years ago. It was an unfortunate phrase, nothing else. "Nevermind that, but, if Neji finds out that I go to a  _bar_ , I'm doomed!"

" _I see…_ " Tenten fell into a thoughtful silence. " _So, facts. Hidan isn't afraid of Neji. Hmmmmm. Meaning Neji won't scare him off. Mm! And he isn't a pushover! Wondrous. … And he knows your deep dark bar-going secret… but didn't tell Neji. Did he give you the impression he was going to use that as blackmail?_ "

Hinata choked. "You're—What do you mean by wondrous?! Not happening, Tenten! I can't believe—He swears! All the time!" Her friend couldn't possibly be voting for Hidan! Could she? Why?!

" _Malicious swearing? Calling people names in anger? Naruto swears a lot too, you know. And you didn't answer my question._ "

Uncurling, the Hyuuga heir stretched her limbs and paced up and down her room. Did he do it in anger? It was kind of hard to say, since she really didn't know him. At all. "He does it automatically, I think. Habit. The swearing, I mean. Sometimes he uses it when he's annoyed, but even then, it's to his friends." She sighed. "He did say a few lines to me without swearing though… so he does have restraint." Yeah sure, though once the swearing stopped that idiot had started spouting pick-up lines!

She flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Tiny globs of glow-in-the-dark dots littered the entire space. Her own private patch of sky. "He covered for me, Tenten," Hinata admitted. "Neji wanted to know where we met and Hidan said an arcade."

Tenten's voice was surprised. " _Wow, really? I didn't expect that, girl. And you're sure you really don't want this guy? He sounds like an okay guy to me, if a little rough around the edges. But then again, is that_ _ **really**_ _such a bad thing, Hinata?_ "

Groaning, Hinata turned over and hid her face in a pillow. "But… Naruto-kun…"

" _Yeah, Naruto. Naruto that ignores you. Naruto that's never noticed you a day in his life, unless he wanted something from you. Naruto that doesn't even talk to you on a day-to-day basis, or try to. VERSUS Hidan, who apparently not only knows you exist but really wants you to know it. I'm not saying give in, 'cause he's probably just aiming for a lay— Don't blush, Hinata, it's true. Just make him work his ass off to get you, and you could have yourself a prize that won't let your family scare him off, and won't ignore you. What the hell could be bad about that?_ " She stopped, sheepish, but didn't take any of it back.

Would Tenten be angry if she just smothered herself with the pillow and ended the call that way? Or would the down-feathers burst into flames? Her cheeks were certainly hot enough. "I am NOT sleeping with him!" she squeaked. "And… Naruto-kun… " And again, Hinata fell silent, feeling a deep resentful frustration as her eyes misted over, but then thought of something else. "Father would never accept Hidan," she stated, not sure whether it was in triumph or in a plea.

" _I know_ ," Tenten replied, her phone-filtered tone saturated with smug satisfaction. " _And that's a big reason right there to go out with him. Go out there and hook that boy like a fish, and use you as the bait._ " She laughed. " _I'll come with you_."

"B-but—why—father!" Hinata sat bolt upright in her bed. "Tenten! You're not making sense!"

" _It makes a lot of sense, and you know it,_ " her friend retorted. " _We can meet at that bar. Maybe he'll be there. I'll be with you every step of the way._ " Her tone was almost pleading. She had been looking for a way to get Hinata interested in someone else for years. The girl was too good for that blond idiot.

Now, a full day later, Hinata was struggling to get homework done and all she could do was think about going to that same bar tomorrow.

Was Tenten right? Was Hidan a good choice? Better than Naruto-kun?

Her head came down with a thunk on the thick layers of text. For today she and Neji had gone back to eating lunch inside, far away from the quad. And she hadn't seen Hidan at all. That was good right? Or bad?

Lifting her head an inch, Hinata let it fall back down with a softer thud. Then almost unwillingly smirked into the paper. He had been a  _very_ good dancer…

xXx

Hidan tossed down the rest of his drink (they knew the bartender, so he 'forgot' to check their IDs), then leaned down and aimed with his pool stick. A beat of stillness, then a solid hit that seemed to glance off the cue ball clumsily. However, that struck three more balls, knocking them into the holes, then the eight ball. His opponent groaned.

"Fuuck," he complained. "Man, that was a waste of money…"

Kakuzu snatched up the thin wad of cash on the corner of the pool table. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances," he said to the couple as they left. "Mm. Ten more bucks to the stash. I'll go get us some beer."

Hidan shrugged boredly and watched him trot off before turning and leaning half-seated on the edge of the pool table. His mind strayed to that pretty number, Hinata. "Fuck," he muttered. "What a waste of time…" But  _damn_ , she was hot. And  _fiery_! Whooo!

Mmm, that perfect balance, C-cups, nice round ass… He would  _really_  like to tap that. Twice. Maybe more, if she was as feisty in bed. He  _was_  a fan of pain and pleasure, after all. Hm. Hell, he might even put up with that Neji bastard to tap that!

And Kakuzu could go screw himself. He was  _not_  infatuated, as the dick had called it. He just wanted to screw her like a bitch. And screw her… and screw her…

"Get your mind out of the gutter, cunt," Kakuzu growled, shoving a beer into his hands. "And stop thinking about her."

"I wasn't!" Hidan protested.

Kakuzu smirked. "The fact that you know whom I was referring to tells your lie."

"Fuck you."

At the entrance, Hinata and Tenten walked into a bar… the shorter of the two girls shook her head and sighed.  _That sounds like the start of a horrible joke._  She scanned the bar and easily spotted Hidan and Kakuzu, though the albino had his back to them.

She turned to Tenten. "Well, how do we do this?"

Tenten smirked and pulled Hinata over to the jukebox. "Lesson number one; when dealing with a pervert, and catching said pervert, two chicks dancing is very hot." She turned to the box and flicked through the songs before choosing one. "Very hot."

"Heh." Kakuzu suddenly pretended intense interest in his money.

"What?" Hidan asked, blinking. He looked behind him… just as Tenten and Hinata started dancing. "… shit."

Hinata gave Tenten a giddy smile. This was actually rather fun. She leaned a little close. "Hey—bet you a box of Purdy's Hedgehogs that you'll blush before I will!"

Tenten smirked. "You're on; I deal with Lee and Neji on a daily basis." She turned around; putting her back to Hinata's front and danced slowly down.

Hidan was wide-eyed. Especially when Hinata leaned slightly closer to her dancing friend. Oh shit. "Ka… Kakuzu…" He pointed, but trailed off.

Kakuzu shut his gaping mouth with a finger. "Just shut up and enjoy the show."

Smirking, Hinata side-stepped around her dancing partner and grabbed a hand to pull her up, moving forward at the same time so that both their fronts pressed together. "Yes," she drawled. "But I," she grinned a wicked little smile, "danced with _Hidan_."

That said, she winked and pulled Tenten even closer and wound her arms around the taller girl's waist. Then proceeded to gyrate.

Hidan gulped. "Oh sweet merciful god," he whispered.

"He's watching," Tenten said. "And tell me; was Hidan wearing green spandex in the middle of a crowded room? No? Didn't think so."

Hinata choked and sputtered and hid her face in Tenten's shoulder (away from Hidan) and tried to stifle her giggles. "Not fair!"

Tenten snickered, their chests pressing together with their combined laughter. "Oh no, the song's over," she said, grinning and pulling away. "Showtime, girly."

Letting out a mock sigh, Hinata giggled and let her friend step away. Then she lunged forward and wrapped an arm around the taller girl's waist. "I hope you know what you're doing!" she whispered as they walked haphazardly towards the pool tables, legs and hips getting in each other's way.

Tenten winked. "Yeah, don't worry!"

Hidan paled slightly. "They're coming this way. Fuck, what do I do?" He looked at Kakuzu and paused at the quirked brow he was getting. "Shit. I'm acting like a fucking girl. Who am I, Sasuke?" He shook his head. "Let's play a game. Act cool."

"Hm. You are an idiot," Kakuzu said, but moved to set up the pool balls.

Hidan had turned so his back was to the approaching duo. Tenten tugged Hinata to a stop three feet away. "Hey, Hidan, right? You were at that party!" she chirped.

He blinked and turned, taking a closer look at her. "Oh shit, you're that Neji bastard's girl."

Tenten quirked a brow. "Please don't call my boyfriend that." Then she pushed the comment to the side. "So! I didn't know you came here. Hinata, you come here a lot, don't you? How come you didn't mention him?" She blinked at Hinata, hoping she took the cue.

Shaking her head, Hinata stepped up to the pool table. It was déjà vu all over again, walking up to the lit table with both Hidan surprised and Kakuzu calculating.

Just being near the pool table gave her a boost of confidence though, she still remembered how much Hidan sputtered and how Kakuzu tried to rile her.

"Honestly Tenten, there wasn't a reason for me to mention him." She shrugged, not looking at either man. "We didn't really meet until a few days ago."

"Ohh, okay," Tenten said in an 'I got it' way. "So, were we gonna play pool? Oh! Right, did you guys want to play too?" She smiled at them, as if to cover up the fact that she'd dismissed them completely.

Hidan's eyes narrowed (and Kakuzu's rolled). "You're on, bitch!" he yelped. "Ten bucks says I trounce your pretty asses."

"Watch your mouth, or I'll  _wash_  your mouth," she said, and smirked. "You're on!"

Crossing her arms under her breasts, Hinata frowned at her friend. "And you said I couldn't complain about it," she muttered as she reached out for a pool cue from Kakuzu. "Are we doing two on two or two girls on one guy?" she asked after a moment, turning to look at the man who had given her the stick.

Hidan leered. "I don't mind a threesome…"

"But we're playing two on two," Kakuzu inserted, almost finishing Hidan's sentence. But it was closer to a verbal reprimand than anything else. "And that's ten bucks per person."

"Damn, you're greedy," Tenten complained. "Fine, I should have that." She tugged her purse off her shoulder.

"Oi, that's not how we do it, Kakuzu," Hidan snapped. "No more than ten bucks per group. You said it yourself!"

"Hyuuga's rich. She can afford it," Kakuzu replied, unrepentant.

A few feet away, Hinata nodded. She reached down into her right boot and after a bit of fumbling, she brought out a ten-dollar bill. "Leftover from the fifty from last time," she grinned at Kakuzu.

Tenten tugged a ten out and took Hinata's, folding them together and setting them on the corner of the table. "Let's go!"

Forty minutes later, Hidan was cursing up a storm as he stomped around in a circle. They'd just lost. Kakuzu frowned. "I should have listened to Hidan," he said, disappointed.

"You really should have," Tenten said, plucking up their money and dividing it between her and her friend. "Tell you what. Come tell me what you and jerk-face there like to drink."

And before anyone could protest, she dragged Kakuzu toward the bar… leaving Hinata and Hidan alone. He smirked at the girl. "You should make it up to me, Hinata," he said. "I'll make it worth your while."

Rolling her eyes, Hinata leaned over the pool table towards him. She motioned him to come closer.

Eagerly, he leaned forward.

With a smirk, the pale girl reached out and slapped the back of his head. "I will," she quipped as he jerked away, "consider it, as soon as you can say something original for once." And then she waited. Expectantly.

He blinked. Original? Was she… was she asking for  _poetry_? He did NOT do that sappy shit! … but, he could say something original. "Alright, c'mere," he said, crooking a finger at her to lean forward so he could whisper in her ear.

She gave him a wary look. Nuh uh.

"I won't bite. Gimme a little credit. If I was gonna do a sneak attack, I'd tell you to expect it," he said, smirking. Amused.  _Laughing_  at her.

"I think I'm going to regret this anyway," Hinata muttered and she again leaned over, going as far as resting her elbows on the felt. "What?"

"A little secret, between you and me?" He smirked. "Life is short, you're hot. So let's get together and…" He smirked. "Have a lot of fun." He knew that haiku book would pay off someday.

She blinked. It wasn't quite a pick up line… Oh hell, yes it was a pick up line… but the cadence was a little familiar. Then it clicked, and her jaw unhooked.

He grinned. "How's that for original, sexy?" he asked smugly.

Laughing helplessly, Hinata let her head rest on the table felt between her elbows. "There are no words, Hidan. None."

He grinned. "My name! There's an improvement!" He paused, grin softening. "You're _really_  sexy when you laugh like that, you ever know that? Like a fucking  _goddess_! I wanna paint you in gold."

Lifting her head, a single pale eye regarded him as she chuckled. With another soft sigh, Hinata straightened up from the table and leaned back a bit, one hand coming up to sweep her blue hair from her face. She was looking at him with a wry smile this time.

"Ah damn, thought I'd be able to hold out longer than that," she admitted, then a little quieter, "and no, I didn't know." And no comment about the goddess or the gold part—though it was original, she had to give him that. Dangerously flattering actually.

He gave her a fake frown. "That's a damn shame. How come you've never been told that before, huh? What kind of assholes you been dating?" A pause. "Granted, I'm an asshole, too, but at least I only screw with sexy ladies… and tell them they're sexy." He was irrationally irritated with this. And he shouldn't be. Goddamn Kakuzu and his stupid accusations!

One blue eyebrow was raised at the sexy comment, but Hinata was already thinking about the dating question and she muttered something under her breath. Casting a rather conspiratorial look Hidan's way, her lips lifted in another grin.

Sliding around the pool table, she hopped up to the edge just a foot away from him. "Look at it this way," she tilted her head to the side, giving him another wry look, "I'm a clan member. I'm supposed to marry within the clan. You've met Neji…"

She waited for his nod before continuing with a deadpanned look. "They are all that way."

He groaned, looking physically pained at the thought. "And with that in mind, you're a virgin, aren't you?"

Studying him for a moment, Hinata gave a slow nod. "Yes."

Hidan shook his head in mock horror. "Damn stick-up-their-asses Hyuugas… present company excluded," he said with a wink. "You've been denied a basic need of life! How have you  _survived_?"

Blinking at him, Hinata shook her head. Did she really… "With toys and vibrators and lots of massage oil." She smirked. Who was she when Hidan was around? When she wasn't around her family? She certainly wasn't this bold! She was actually flirting!

He sniffled dramatically. "Barely surviving at all," he complained. "I should fix that. If you'll let me." He grinned perversely at her. "Oh, unless you're the date first kind. Is that the issue…?" He  _had_  been puzzling over the repeated brush offs.

"Definitely the date first kind," she answered. Her blue hair slipped over her shoulder as she tilted her head again, "and I'm still trying to figure out if I  _want_ to date you."

"Oh, I could help you with that," Hidan said, straight-faced. He reached out and placed a hand on her forehead, closing his eyes. "Hmmm…. 'What the hell is he doing', no, wrong thought. Uh… where is it… 'Neji's a jerk', can't say I disagree… 'Where's Tenten'… wondering that myself… Oh! There we go! 'I want to go out with Hidan for pizza'. I'll pick you up Sunday at seven. Deal?" He grinned and dropped his hand.

She couldn't help it, she was laughing again. "Where do you come up with this shit, Hidan?"

"Thin air," he said, grinning. "C'mon. Pizza? Soda? Just you and me?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Thin air," she drawled back at him disbelievingly. "Pizza sounds delicious. Soda would be wonderful. The last scares me a bit."

"Well, it's either that or you join me at the junkyard, and the guys are likely to be there with me," he said, only half-joking. He smirked.

 _Uh, retreat.._. Hinata sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine. How about I meet you somewhere?" Having Hidan show up at her father's doorstep may not be the best way of starting things… If there was a thing to start.

"Oh, sure, that's fine." He frowned thoughtfully. "I get off work at the junkyard at six thirty, so… Uh, meet me… Oh! Dominoes, down the road from the Uchiha company building. Is that good?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," she said, just relieved it was a public place. Then Hinata blinked. "I just agreed to go on a date with you." Bemused, she shook her head. "Wow."

"Don't worry, Hinata. I'll make it good." He winked. "And believe it or not, that wasn't meant to be perverted." Do not spook the girl. "Anyway, as to your earlier question, where the fuck are those two?" He looked around and spotted Kakuzu accepting a handful of money from Tenten. Smirked and held his thumb up. Kakuzu swore and handed the money back.

xXx


	2. Line It Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You know… If you don't want the lunch, Hidan, I can give it to Kakuzu."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is now running parallel with the last few chapters of Sand Trails, but again, not dependent.

School the next Monday passed without event. The day after that was the same. Wednesday featured a fight and following incarceration with the principal for Kakuzu and Sasori. (Sasori wouldn't pay Kakuzu to move, and Kakuzu made Sasori late) (Sasori won, through pure psychosis.) Thursday contained the explosive tempers of Deidara and Sasori. Barely. Friday…

Ah, Friday. It will henceforth be known as The Dooms Day, aka the Day Hinata tried to blend in with the furniture.

Ino, with an uncanny perceptiveness that had been honed through years of sticking her nose into other people's business, found out about Hidan and Hinata.

By fifth period lunch, everyone knew.

Everyone.

Every time Kisame looked at the albino, he would start laughing so hard his face turned peach. The girls of school would either shoot Hinata tiny grins or encouraging gestures (thumbs ups, waves, wiggled eyebrows, etc) or strange wondering looks (they could not understand what had gotten into the shy girl).

And then… Sixth period came, and Neji got a moment to corner his cousin. "Hinata!" he hissed, blocking her exit from their shared fifth period Geometry class. "I've heard some very disturbing rumours today… I had hoped you could clear things up."

Sinking into a nearby chair, Hinata sighed.  _Here we go_ … "Which rumours, Neji-kun?"

"The ones about you and Jashin. You already know what I mean, Hinata. So tell me, it's not  _true_ , right?"

Why had Tenten thought it was such a good idea again? The smaller Hyuuga took a breath and looked down at her hands, which were twisted together in her lap. "It  _is_  true."

Neji stared at her. "How?  _Why_?" he asked, baffled.

"Because he sees me," she said softly as she looked up at him. "Because he knows that I exist. Because he wants my attentions. Because he respects me. Because I can talk to him."

"What are you  _talking_  about, Hinata?" he demanded, shaking his head. "He's rude, and coarse, and violent. He talks to you like you're some sort of… sexual item! How could you think he  _respects_  you! No, this isn't right. I won't allow it."

 _Oh, he went there did he?_ "I know that he respects me," Hinata stated as she rose to her feet, "because if I tell him no, he won't force me. And if talking to me like a sexual item is bad, then talking to me like the family breeding cow is just as callous!" She glared up at her cousin, daring him to contradict her. "How are you, telling me who to spend my time with, any better?"

He blinked, mouth open in shock. There was stifled snickering behind him and he whipped around. "YOU!" he cried. "You've turned her into… into this!" He pointed at his cousin. "This rebellion of hers is YOUR fault!"

"Guilty as charged," Hidan retorted. "Now go the fuck away. Can't you see the lady doesn't  _want_  your company right now? And maybe, just maybe, if you apologize for being a sexist, stick in the mud ass later, she'll forgive you." He sneered. "If you're lucky!"

Neji sputtered. Finally, he managed to say a coherent sentence. "Sexist! You can't talk about sexist, you perverted imbecile!"

Hidan rolled his eyes and quirked a brow at Hinata. "And  _I'm_  unoriginal?" he asked dryly, holding a hand out. "Let's ditch this stiff bitch, seriously."

Running a frustrated hand through her hair, Hinata sighed. This went out of control, fast. And Neji… Glancing at him, she didn't see anything but the judgemental look of her own father. Maybe another time, another day, they would be able to work things out. But for now, there was no saving this.

Blinking back a sudden surge of helpless emotion, Hinata brushed past her cousin and placed her hand in Hidan's waiting palm. "Okay."

Hidan dismissed Neji completely and interlaced his fingers with Hinata's before tugging her from the room. "To the cafeteria?" he asked.

Nodding quickly, she let out an adorable little growl and rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "Fucking family," she muttered as they walked. "Always a pain in the ass."

"You're kind of sexy when you growl and swear," he told her bluntly, grinning. "Kinda makes me wanna take you into a closet and fuck you senseless…"

He got a quirk of the brow, before she reached over and punched him in the shoulder. She was still blushing though. "Have you seen the closets here? Gross."

"True enough. Ah, well, there's always that hidey hole… Aww, fuck, I'm hungry! Food first. Fuuuuckk." He picked up his pace, dragging her along. "I spent all last period running from that fucking counselor torture bastard. Worked up an appetite."

Hinata shook her head giggling and hauled back on his arm. "Chicken or beef?" she asked as he turned.

"Chicken's got better breasts," he said, just to make her blush. "But I'm a fan of the  _real_ meat." The innuendo was unavoidable.

"Relentless," she muttered, amazed. "What are you gonna do when I'm used to all that?" she asked as she pulled her backpack around and dug into it.

"Then I'll get dirty," he replied with a smirk, watching curiously.

She giggled again and hoped her cheeks wouldn't get any redder. She yanked out a cooler bag and grinned at her date. "Since Neji is a sexist, as you've already observed, I'm usually the one who brings the lunches." The blue bag dangled from her triumphant hand. "And since he's not eating with me…"

"Hinata, are you asking me to eat Neji's lunch? 'Cause my fucking answer's 'yes'," he said with a grin. "Let's go to the quad. Probably find that bastard around somewhere."

"Which one?" she asked dryly. "There seems to be more of them each time I turn." She slung the bags back over her shoulder, thinking about what today meant. The school knew about them. She had just shouted down Neji. And given away his lunch. Which mean Neji would be eating cafeteria food… and her father would probably get the full report before she even got home.

He glanced at her. "Worried?" he asked observantly.

She flicked her own look at him before gazing back down the hallway. "Yes. But, my choice; my issue." Hinata flashed another of her wry smiles at him. "I'll be fine."

"Okay," he said simply.

They quickly reached the quad and he grinned a touch evilly. "Oh, looky there! Uzumaki!"

Naruto jumped, startled and turned as the albino nearly flipped him over the table. And then gave him a noogie. "Gah!"

Standing off to the side, Hinata could only blink at the two of them.  _Former crush meet current… guy._  She winced at her own lame thoughts before sighing. What the hell was Hidan doing?

"I just wanted to give ya a warm fucking thanks," Hidan said with a grin, releasing the blond. "For giving me her name!"

"Uh… okay?" Naruto rubbed his sore scalp and looked at Hinata. "Er… I don't know what you're talking about…"

She gave him flat look. Well, no, he wouldn't know. He was clueless from day one. Funny how she didn't feel like forgiving him today. Instead, she turned to Hidan. "Give him an extra noogie for me, will you? I'm going to be over there." She pointed off to a table in the sunlight.

Naruto blinked, then flailed when Hidan gleefully attacked. Ten minutes later, the grinning albino joined her at the table, where Kakuzu was eating with her in silence.

Without looking up from her chicken teriyaki, Hinata pushed the other container towards him. She was also curiously stabbing her food a little harder than necessarily.

Hidan eyed her. Looked at Kakuzu. Kakuzu made a 'pay me' gesture. Hidan held up two fingers. "So, I see that food has behaved poorly," Kakuzu commented in a would-be casual tone.

Hinata's free hand dipped down into her bag, pulled out a five, and handed it to Kakuzu. "Not talking about it."

Hidan burst into a fit of laughter at the torn look on Kakuzu's face. "Alright, alright! She wins!" He nearly fell out of his seat from laughing so hard.

Confused, Hinata swung her pale gaze from Hidan, who looked like he was going to split a rib, to Kakuzu. "I win?"

"He was going to pay me twenty later for asking," Kakuzu said with a sigh, but pocketed the five quickly. "Because he's a pansy."

The laughter abruptly stopped. "OI! AM NOT!"

"Are too."

"Not!"

"Too!"

"FUCK YOU, BITCH!"

"Shut the fuck up, cunt!"

Watching the two of them go at it, Hinata tilted her head at them and felt strangely okay with the world. Though…

"You know… If you don't want the lunch, Hidan, I can give it to Kakuzu."

He snatched the bento box up so fast that it was a wonder he didn't hurt himself. "NO FUCKING WAY! This shit's mine now, Hinata!"

"Oh quit your whining," Kakuzu snapped. He paused and turned at a commotion, watching Konan beat the tar out of Suigetsu. "Oh, he's back? Didn't Sasori almost kill him…?"

"Tch."

The one girl at their table lifted a brow, glancing back and forth between the two. "Do I want to know?"

"Douche fucked with Sakura. Karma kicked his ass," Hidan scoffed.

Kakuzu shrugged. "He pissed Sasori off back during that assembly. Don't you remember?"

"That was him?" Hinata blinked. "He's not that tough looking. Why did he pick a fight with Sasori of all people?"

"'Cause he's a fucking retard?" Hidan said, shrugging.

"Hmmm," Hinata was only half paying attention; Konan was really pummeling the other boy.

Hidan grinned. "You should come hang out with us at the junkyard," he suddenly said.

The girl refocused her gaze on him and frowned. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Why not?"

She nibbled on the end of one of her chopsticks. First there was her father. Then there was Neji. Then there was any number of other family members who probably would be hissing to get to her… and then there was Hidan just being himself.

"When?"

Hidan grinned. "After school."

Kakuzu snorted. They would all be there, too.

Deal with Hidan, Kakuzu and his friends in an unfamiliar place for one evening or deal with her family for the whole weekend… "Maybe."

Hidan eyed her. Kakuzu quirked a brow. "… I'll buy pizza," Hidan said.

It took a moment for Hinata to realize what Hidan meant by that, then she grinned. "It's not a question for bribing me, Hidan. It's whether I really want to be surrounded by guys who I hardly know for a few hours. I mean, what am I going to talk about? What are we going to do?"

Hidan leered. "I have a few ideas."

Kakuzu smacked him upside the head. "Unless things get violent, it can get boring. We play cards, do homework… Itachi pines after Sakura."

Hidan snickered.

"If I have someone to play poker with, I should be fine," she mused. Okay, maybe the evening wouldn't be a disaster.

Hidan cackled. "Hell yeah! Just don't play fucking Kisame for money; you'll lose every god damn thing."

"I'll keep that in mind."  _And bring my homework._

xXx

The junkyard. Hidan's place of work, esteemed hangout for a group of overly violent, sadistic and oftentimes masochistically-inclined young men. And currently the spot of not one, but two guests. One invited, the second having invited himself for something that resembled a study group but was closer to an independent shop class. Luckily, those involved—Deidara, Kisame, Sasori and Itachi, had moved past the violent stage of negotiations as it were… And straight into antagonistic whispering.

Luckily, Hinata's presence had gone largely ignored by everyone save Hidan and Kakuzu… Not that Kakuzu would be there for long. He had work soon.

"Comfy?" Hidan asked the quiet Hyuuga, peering over her shoulder at her work.

Tucking a lock of hair behind an ear, Hinata hummed and nodded. Realizing that was probably a little rude, she turned her head and smiled up at him. "Yep, I'm fine."

He smirked and sat back. "Good. Kakuzu, you leaving soon?"

Kakuzu grunted, scribbling something down on his homework. After a minute, Hidan's hand whipped out and smacked him hard on the cheek. "Oi, fucker! I asked you a fucking question!"

Kakuzu glared at him, angry. "Do you want to die?"

Hidan scoffed. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" he retorted.

Thankfully, before the argument could escalate any further, a shoe came sailing across the room to thunk into Hidan's chest. "Shut up, you idiot, we're working!" Sasori snapped, receiving a mutinous scowl for his efforts.

Meanwhile, Hinata was thinking really hard to herself. Really determined thoughts.  _I will not cringe. I will not hunker down. I will not whimper. I will not give Hidan a lost puppy look just so that he will let me leave… These guys are insane. And crazy. And I can't believe I'm more concerned about keeping blood off my homework than I am finishing it._ There was  _one_ happy thought.  _After this, facing the family will be a walk in the park._

A tremulous smile made its way onto Hinata's lips. However, as Hidan turned to respond to Sasori's assault, she frowned slightly and devoted all of her attention to the textbook in her lap. Business Management never made so much sense before…

"Idiot, rather than fighting with your friends, pay attention to the girl," Kakuzu growled, standing. He began to gather up his homework, depositing it in a nearly empty folder. "And maybe do your homework for once?"

"Fuck you," Hidan retorted, but settled down. "What are you doing, anyway?"

Kakuzu rolled his eyes. "Sasori, I'm leaving."

"Coming," the redhead replied, gathering his own belongings. "We'll finish this in class tomorrow?" he asked Itachi.

"Aa," Itachi's low voice murmured. "There's only the three joints left to weld." There was a pause. "After that, we just need to test its range." Hinata was surprised to hear an eager note to his voice. The older Uchiha was a mystery to her. In fact, he still intimidated her. How Sakura was able to love the man was beyond Hinata's understanding. He was so… stoic.

"Can we do what I suggested, un?" Deidara asked with psychotic glee.

Sasori scoffed. "Are you that eager to get expelled? We're not shooting mini bombs, idiot."

"Tch! Who's asking you, un?!" Deidara retorted.

"Sasori, don't make me late for work," Kakuzu warned.

Sasori scowled at his blond artistic rival. "We will continue this discussion another time. Ja," he said, and hurried after Kakuzu out the door.

Hidan prodded Hinata's shoulder. "Oi, you spacing out or something?" he demanded gruffly.

"No!" she yelped, dropping her pencil. Thankfully, her long hair swept down to hide her face as she reached down for the rolling stylus. So far, Hidan's friends hadn't smelt her fear, so hopefully the same could be said for embarrassment.

Hidan frowned irritably. "Hinata, are you okay?" Though she tried to hide it, he could clearly see how tense she was.

She froze, thoughts continuing on the previous strain. Okay, so maybe his friends couldn't, but apparently Hidan could.  _Well, it's Hidan. That's okay right? Yes?_  Okay, she needed out. Just for a minute. Several if she could grab them.

Blinking her way out of her thoughts, Hinata snatched the pencil from the floor and sat back up, battle plan in place.

"Uhm, Hidan? I'm gonna go outside for a bit. I'll be right back." And smile. There that wasn't so bad. Wait—why was Hidan looking at her like that?

Hidan's brows had furrowed with a mixture of scepticism and annoyance. "Not alone," he said after a beat. "Seriously, this isn't the kind of place to just stroll around with. Take someone with you." He scowled even more. "Actually, it's about time for me to do my rounds anyway…"

 _Be alone with Hidan in a darkening junkyard or be alone in this room with his friends?_ Hinata thought fast. "Oh. Never mind then. I'll just stay here."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but finally shrugged and got up. "Whatever works, still gotta do my rounds. I should be back in twenty minutes." He caught Itachi's eye briefly, for no apparent reason, shrugged at the Uchiha, and turned away from Hinata.

The foul-mouthed boy paused in the doorway, picking up a shovel. He glanced back at Hinata. "You sure?"

The question surprised her and she felt like hugging him for asking. For all that Neji said he was a coarse man, Hidan could be sweet sometimes.

Smiling slightly, Hinata tilted her head. "Give me one reason for wandering out alone with you."

He smirked. "Extracurricular activities?" he said,  _mostly_  teasing.

 _So predictable_. She blushed anyway. "Goodbye Hidan," she said firmly, pointedly focusing back on her textbook.

He snickered and shut the door behind him. Silence fell for a beat, and then— "Ah, fuck, I gotta papercut, un!"

"Can you be any  _more_  of a wuss?" Kisame asked, while his best friend just sighed.

Forcing her eyes to scan down the page, Hinata jotted down a few answers and bided her time as the argument near her seemed to draw Itachi's attention. In the middle of one of Deidara's responses, she slid her homework off to the side and stood up.

"I'm getting a drink," she mumbled and fled out the door.

Deidara blinked after her. "Sakura's better at that, un," he commented.  _Why does Hidan have to be interested in such a mouse?_

"Not by much," Kisame snorted. "Pink hair is hard to be subtle with. Ouch!" He turned and scowled at Itachi, rubbing his shoulder. "It's true!"

His friend tilted his head at the door, fingers already busy at his phone.

"Hey, Hidan's supposed to be watching out for his own girl. We aren't babysitters," Kisame protested.

At this, Itachi looked up and gave him a flat look. "Go."

 _Gaaahh_ … Kisame slid out of the chair and hustled for the door, muttering, "You're such a bitch without Pinky around."

Deidara snickered at him. "Have fuuunn," he teased.

The Uchiha didn't respond at all. He simply flicked open his phone as it buzzed angrily, then snapped it shut again.

Grumbling, Sharky yanked the door open and walked out.  _Now where was that chit?_

He walked around the corner and found her slumped against the pop machine.

There were few things scarier than seeing a huge blue man materialize out of the gloom. Such as said huge blue man materializing out of the gloom, scowling.

"Hoshigaki-san?"

She didn't realize he wasn't scowling in general until he directed it at her.

"Didn't you hear Hidan?" he growled. "No wandering alone."

Her hands came together, one gripping the other as she looked away. She wasn't wandering! She was just out here getting some air. And it had been a relief for half a minute.

"I was going to come back inside. Soon." She stuffed her hands into her pockets.

There was a huff of air from Kisame. "Right. Why the hell are you hiding out here?"

Hinata cringed. "I'm not hiding."

"The fuck you ain't."

Inside her pockets, her hands were curling into fists. She just wanted some time alone. Just a few minutes. She didn't want to be in a room where everyone watched her and judged her. And always found her below their expectations… If she wanted that, she could just go home.

"I just want to be alone okay?"

Kisame loomed closer. "No."

Her whole body tensed as he moved. "Go away."

"Not happening." He actually sighed.

Hinata turned to look at the machine, pretending to browse through the choices. "Just… give me a minute."

She could see him watching her from the edges of her peripheral vision. He was rolling his eyes.

"What's with you?" he asked bluntly.

 _Oh God_ … He just wouldn't give up. Hinata shut her eyes and bit her lip. "I just needed some air."

"You got some," he retorted. "So get your drink already and go back in."

 _Arrgghh! I do not need_ another _person bossing me around today!_

"Back off already!" Hinata burst out, turning to look at him directly. "Who do you think you are? Neji?"

Kisame's eyebrow twitched. "Hey, Hyuuga. Just get your fucking drink and go back inside," he repeated. "We don't want you getting hurt."

"Hurt by what?" She looked around at the silent junkyard and its dry dirt roads. "There's nothing here!"

"Fuck." Kisame groaned clearly frustrated. "It's a goddamn rule okay? Girls are escorted outside of the office. It's a fucking basic safety rule. Hidan'll get fired if we leave you alone out here." He waved an agitated hand at a black dome tucked under the eaves of the roof. "You want that? Cuz there are fucking cameras."

Hinata blinked, all the fight draining out of her. "Oh…" Oh God. She was so  _stupid_. "S-sorry…" Should have known there was a reason. Should have known it wasn't about her. Stupid, stupid,  _stupid_ girl.

She turned and barely glanced at the machine, pulling a dollar out of her pocket and feeding it in.  _I am such an idiot,_  repeated through her head as Hinata pressed down on a button, not even seeing what she selected.  _I could have gotten him fired…_

Hidan appeared, looking a little annoyed. "Oh, Hinata! Didn't I say you had to go  _with_ someone?" he asked, and frowned. "Sprite? Really?" He waved in what could have been thanks in Kisame's general direction.

This time, Hinata blushed in humiliation. "Y-you did say that," she mumbled. She heard Kisame heave a sigh and leave. "I-I just thought you meant further away." She gestured at the dirt pathways spreading out from the building.

Hidan sighed. "Shit, I guess it's my fault. I didn't fucking explain." He shifted and made a face, muttering something that almost sounded like 'sorry', shockingly enough.

"No!" Hinata blurted staring up into his red eyes. Couldn't he see? It wasn't his fault. It was hers. "I didn't listen. It's  _my_ fault." She looked down at the cold drink in her hands. "I didn't think. I'm sorry."

He smirked. "How about we just blame the bastard and go for a walk?" He gave her the most charming grin he could muster. It was closer to a leer than a grin.

Hinata gave him a watered down smile. "Which bastard?" she asked softly as she stepped forward to stand beside him.

He grabbed her hand and started back the way he'd come. "Yes," he said. "That bastard…s." He smirked.

She looked up at him perplexed. That didn't even make sense.  _Blame them all? For the whole misunderstanding?_  Hinata blinked and then giggled. It was rather tempting.

Hidan grinned. "And he emerges victorious! Just remember, when your friends ask you why you smile, you can tell them it's cause of me. I don't mind taking the blame." He smirked.

"I smile!" Hinata protested, frowning at him. "On my own, I mean," she clarified. She wasn't like Neji, never showing any emotion.

He smirked. "I was referring to the 'I've sexed up a god' smile," he replied teasingly.

She actually stumbled.

"Hidan!" she yelped, face scarlet. "I do not have…" She determinedly looked away.  _My, what a nice old gutted washing machine…_

Hidan smiled faintly and let them lapse into silence for a beat. Then, "You know, you're not so bad," he murmured.

The shy girl next to him sighed. "I nearly got you fired," she admitted miserably.

He snorted. "Not really. My boss is too lazy to hire someone else, unless he's caught by the union. Still, we like to play it safe… But it's alright. I don't blame you for it." Pause. "Of course, if you feel  _that_  bad, you can make it up to me." He smirked.

"I…" Hinata shook her head, "I don't know whether to kiss you or hit you." On one hand, good, she didn't nearly cost him his job. On the other, he was still being a lecher.

"Can I pick 'all of the above'?" he asked, grinning widely.

Her left eyebrow rose. "Really?"

He shrugged. "I'll settle for a kiss if you're shy," he teased.

Now smiling slightly, Hinata stopped walking and turned to look at him. "You're horrible," she murmured.

Hidan smirked. "I try. And mostly succeed." He held out his arms hopefully.

Laughing quietly, Hinata stepped in. "You're not so bad yourself," she said as his arms closed around her.

"As I said; like a god," he said, snickering. And then, before she could think up a reply, he caught her mouth and gave her a toe curling kiss. It wasn't innocent at all.

When he finally pulled back, Hinata blinked up at him. "Uhm, what were we talking about?"

"Outer space, space cadet," he replied, still holding her. He wasn't quite ready to let go yet.

The pale girl hummed, trying to think. Standing here, embracing like this, it was nice. Really nice. For once, she didn't feel pressured to do anything. Okay, maybe besides one thing. Reciprocation was definitely on the to-do list. She leaned back in and initiated her own kiss.

He grinned and returned it… And that was how Deidara found them. The flash of a camera announced his presence, accompanied a cheer. "I HAVE PROOF, UN!" the blond cackled, and ran away as fast as he could.

xXx


	3. Shoot

The next day, Hinata stepped onto the school grounds by herself. It was strange, she mused. Even if Neji only walked next to her to keep other males away from her, he had still been a comforting presence at her side.

Now she moved alone through the streams of other students. There was no older cousin to break the crowd ahead.

Hinata took a step to the side and watched the people rush past. As she stood there, wrapped up in her own thoughts of this odd sense of freedom, a bright mop of spiky yellow hair caught her eye.

Naruto. Little wonder she had picked him out of the crowd. She had been attuned to him for so long now, it was second nature. So natural even, that she had already lifted a hand and was about to step away from the wall. Hinata closed her mouth, curled her hand back to her breast, and frowned at herself, watching Naruto forge his way past barely two feet from her.

A whole chapter of her life had closed when she had decided to challenge Hidan two weeks ago. Naruto was no longer part of her life. Hinata snorted softly, seeing the familiar sight of Naruto brushing past oblivious of her gaze. Not that he was part of it to begin with. Only now it was official. She would no longer watch after him.

Hinata instead looked back towards the doors, the light streaming in to bathe everything around her in the soft glowing tones of an early morning palette.

' _I wanna paint you in gold,'_  Hidan had said to her. She looked down at her arms, pale skin gilded gold in the light of the sunrise and she smiled.

Feeling a little warmer, Hinata turned and walked to her first class, sliding easily into the throng of students.

xXx

Hidan was being stalked. Ruthlessly, his hunter followed him through the school, eyes following his every move. Calculating. Waiting. Hiding. Occasionally, he'd hear the predator. See a flash of yellow out of the corner of his eye. Hear a stifled giggle. Feel eyes on the back of his head.

By second period, he was thoroughly rattled, especially since the stalker had become  _stalkers_. He snuck into the second period Calculus classroom and crouched behind Itachi. "Yamanaka and her groupies are following me!" he hissed, peeking out at the door. " _Why_ are they fucking following me?! I haven't done a goddamn thing to them!"

Itachi's face was expressionless, but Hidan knew the bastard was laughing his ass off inside. "Perhaps your recent relationship fascinates them," the Uchiha offered casually.

"Oh shit, are you fucking  _kidding_  me?" the Jashin demanded, paling.

"Don't worry. They will probably lose interest."

"PROBABLY?!"

xXx

Sitting in a pool of sunshine, Hinata looked out the window at the track fields below. Geometry class had been difficult. Usually Neji would sit next to her, but today he had arrived earlier and had pointedly sat further away. The student he had displaced had given Hinata a confused look, but she hadn't explained the situation.

Halfway through class, the teacher had given them lab time. Hinata had packed her work away within minutes, pulling her cousin's lunch out of her bag. She had walked up to his desk and placed the bento next to his wrist. He had ignored her. No words were spoken. A moment later, Hinata had left the room without looking back.

At the cafeteria, she had warmed her lunch in the microwave and had snuck back upstairs. Now, her bento was left half eaten on her lap, her attention far away.

xXx

Kakuzu sighed. "We're going to be late for lunch."

"Shh," was the only reply he got as his best friend and frequent partner in crime peeking into the classroom. "I knew it. What a fucking space cadet," he said gleefully.

"You are an idiot," Kakuzu declared, turning away. "I'll get you a burger."

Hidan waved him off and crept into the room. He sat down next to her, smirking. "So I saw this sexy lady this morning. Bathed in gold. I'm just sad I didn't get to do it myself."

At the sound of his voice, Hinata yelped and barely grabbed her lunch box before it slid off her lap. "Hidan!"

"My name!" he replied. "Hello goddess, what's with the space cadet routine?"

"Uhm," she blushed and put the box on the table. "I was just thinking. That's all."

He quirked a brow. "About?"

Hinata bit her lip and looked out the window. "Family issues."

"What sort of issues? Talk to me, eh?" he wheedled.

She turned back with a skeptical look, lips twitching. "It's not all that interesting, Hidan…" Then her eyes widened. "You saw me this morning?"  _Did he see when Naruto…_

He nodded. "Yeah?"

He didn't look disappointed or angry. So, he must have missed seeing her reach out to the blond. Hinata sighed. One thing going her way for once today. If Neji had seen that, he would have lectured her all throughout lunch.

Hidan was still watching her expectantly, so she smiled. And softly punched him in the shoulder. "You didn't say hi, you jerk."

He grinned. "I knew you loved me," he teased. "So where's your second lunch box?"

Her blush from his first offhand comment still pink on her cheeks, Hinata shook her head looked down at her hands. "I-I'm sorry. I gave it to Neji in class."

"It's cool. Did that bastard say thank you?" he asked, leaning back against the wall.

Hinata looked out the window again. "No," she said softly. "He won't talk to me now."

Hidan paused mid stretch, eyes narrowing. "Why fucking not?"

Pale eyes watched as students raced around the track. Teachers standing off to the side, blowing whistles. Sunlight everywhere.

Hinata let a wry little smile stretch across her lips. "I yelled at him yesterday, remember? I don't think he liked that."

Strange thing was, she had yelled at him, confirming all his fears, yet the family hadn't been told of her outburst. When she had finally returned home that night, the expected confrontation had been absent. It had left her confused. She had seen her cousin later than evening and again in the morning, but he had walked by without acknowledging her. His lack of regard had shaken her more than Hinata had expected.

She brushed her fingers through her hair and sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have—"

Hidan was shaking slightly, even as he stood and stalked from the room. "I'll kill that bitch," he hissed. He heard her startled gasp, and then her footsteps as she rushed after him. He hurried toward the classroom where Neji sat.

And the breaking came when Hidan saw the untouched bento, and Neji's cafeteria tray. "You fucking little cunt!" he hissed, stalking over. He shoved Neji's tray off the desk, sending it clattering to the floor, and then reached out to grab the Hyuuga.

Neji quickly swatted his hand away and got to his feet. "Jashin. What is the meaning of this?"

Hidan snarled and bared his teeth. "Like you don't know, you cocksucking little bitch!"

"Hidan! Don't please!" Hinata was frantic at his side. "He-" she broke off when she saw the way Neji's eyes flickered in her direction, but refused to focus on her. Even now, he was ignoring her even as she was trying to defend him. Hurt and still confused, she took a step back, hands falling away from Hidan's shirt.

"I-is it so bad…" she started tremulously, brows furrowed in distress, "... to want to make my own decisions?" Her pale eyes closed. "Do you hate me that much?" She took another step away, then another. Finally, she turned and fled entirely.

Hidan cracked his knuckles. "Prepare to bleed, fucker!" He lunged.

Neji ducked beneath the wild swing, driving his fist into Hidan's solar plexus. Hidan stumbled back, and then proceeded to brush the hit off like it was nothing. Neji's eyes widened.  _A trick? That has to be it._..

At least… He hoped so.

xXx

It took literally no time at all before someone saw the brawl and ran for help. Which attracted attention. Shortly, a small crowd had gathered, though they wisely refrained from entering the trashed classroom. Kakuzu glanced in, frowned, and went off in search of Hinata. As much as he could make money from this, she was probably off somewhere crying.

He frowned at the thought.  _I hate crying women…_

He finally gave up and started listening in at the doors of the various girls' bathrooms. He found her on the second floor. Luckily, she was the only one in the bathroom. "Hinata?" he asked, stepping inside.

There was a sniffle, and then, "Ka-kakuzu?!" She certainly sounded shocked. "No! Get out!" He could hear her stumbling, and then the door of a stall slamming. "Go away!"

 _Who does she think I am, a slut? I don't do shit for free._  "No."

"Kakuzu! This is a girl's washroom! You can't be in here!"

He just crossed his arms and stared wordlessly at the door of her stall.

"You're still there aren't you?"

A scoff. "Yes."

"Why?" At least she wasn't crying anymore.

His glare darkened. "Shits and giggles."

There was a beat of silence. Then the latch unlocked and Hinata peeked out. She looked pretty bad. "That is so not even funny." She hiccuped.

He ignored the comment. "I take it Hidan found out about Hyuuga's neglect?" he asked.

Hinata's eyes widened. "H-how do you know about Neji?"

"That information will cost you."

Hinata wiped her eyes and leaned her head forward to rest on the door jamb. "Unbelievable." She stayed that way for a few minutes, breathing deeply and slowly rebuilding her composure. Finally, she sighed and twisted out of the stall.

"Now what?" she asked, going past him towards the sinks. "You stay in here until I leave?" She sounded tired, wrung out.

"Maybe." He watched her, still frowning, and mentally hoped Hidan would beat the ever-living shit out of that asshole before the teachers stopped him.  _Fucking ass. Maybe I'll put him in debt._

Hinata looked up from splashing her face, droplets ran down her cheeks. "Kakuzu-san, you can't be serious." She wiped the water from her eyes and looked at him again. "Oh God. You are."

He shrugged. "Seems that way."

"Even if other girls walk in here and scream at you?"

Another shrug. "They do that anyway."

Hinata opened her mouth, and then shut it again sheepishly. Yes, she had done that too.

They stared at each other for a moment, neither saying a word. Hinata was the first to break; letting out a hopeless sigh, she turned to look in the mirror. "Yikes," she muttered at her reflection. She turned the faucet back on and pushed her wet hands through her hair.

"Know any quiet places where one can hide from everyone for an afternoon?" she asked as she tied her long blue hair back in a low ponytail. With the hair pulled back, the line of her jaw and the pale slope of her neck were suddenly visible. Hinata caught him looking and smiled slightly. "Ten bucks?"

He nodded. "Follow me," he said, and led her away. Five minutes later, they were in what Kisame called the Hidey Hole. Once she was settled, he held out a hand expectantly.

She handed him the money, then pulled out another five. "How do you know about Neji?" she asked again.

"Spy network," he replied, pleased.

Pale eyes blinked at him. "Why did you search for me?"

He sat down on a beanbag. "Because Hidan is otherwise occupied, and could not come himself."

"Oh." Voice soft, Hinata looked thoughtful. "Thank you." She twisted her fingers, and the one five slid aside to show the second beneath. She held them out to him.

He accepted them like the greedy money monger he was. "What do you plan on doing about it?"

One eyebrow rising, Hinata attempted a smile, slumping back on her own beanbag. "About Neji? That information is going to cost you, my friend." She sobered quickly though. "Since, I don't really know myself. I had thought that Neji would tell my family about my  _transgressions_. However, when I got home—it didn't seem that way." The pale girl curled up on her side, one hand brushing through her bangs. "I don't know whether he's angry at me or if he's ashamed of me. And I don't know if I should do anything about it, other than leave him alone."

"I meant about Hidan fighting your cousin," Kakuzu corrected.

Hinata groaned and covered her face. "I don't know," she mumbled finally. "Congratulate him for one awesome fight and then tell him to never do it again?"

Kakuzu chuckled. "I'd love to see that."

One pale eye peeked through spread fingers. "He is going to be okay right?"

Kakuzu nodded. "Should be. And even if he isn't, a kiss should do it." It was impossible to tell if that was a joke or not.

Hinata let her hands drop and shook her head, smiling slightly. "Should I be offended or comforted that you're completely dismissing my family's prized natural fighter?"

He smirked. "Who cares? Hyuuga is a dick and I hope Hidan rips him a literal new one. I would pay money to have that happen."

The girl next to him sighed. "I'd say Neji wasn't that bad—but we'd both know I'd be really reaching there. I just hope Hidan doesn't get hurt too bad."

Kakuzu blinked. "He hasn't told you?"

"Eh?" Hinata blinked back at him. "Told me what?"

He paused. "Normally, I'd charge, but… Hidan would probably kill me anyway." He shrugged, not looking that worried about it. "It wouldn't matter if Hidan got hurt. He'd love it anyway…. He's a masochist." Pause. "Five bucks."

She actually stuck her tongue out at him. "Dream on." The girl crossed her arms and looked up at the ceiling. "So he likes pain. Loves it." It looked like certain things were clicking into place in her head.

Kakuzu smirked. "That doesn't bother you?"

She rolled her eyes. "I live in a family of sadists, I think by now I prefer dealing with someone on the opposite end." One hand came up to rub the back of her neck thoughtfully. "And I don't have to worry about him hurting  _me_."

Kakuzu smirked. "Good. I'd hate to have to get between you, but if it bothered you, there would be no choice."

"Get between?" Hinata gave him a confused look. "How so?"

He smirked. "That doesn't matter."

"Hmm." The confusion eased away from her expression, and worry replaced it. Not an improvement. "What do you think I should do about Neji?"

Kakuzu shrugged, leaning back further so that he was resting against the wall. "Buy a sharpie and his favorite snack. He'll be in the hospital a while, and you can sign his casts."

The Hyuuga girl stilled on a small gasp, then after a second let it out in a shuddering sigh. He guessed imagining that Neji bastard in  _multiple_  casts threw her for a loop. Might shock her, made him happy.

"N-no," Hinata finally stuttered out still examining the ceiling, "I meant whether I should try to reconcile with him."

Kakuzu quirked a brow. "He's your family. What do you think?" he asked. "He might be a douche, but he's what you've got."

Strangely, the girl let out a sharp bark of laughter. When she turned face him, the momentary mirth was wiped away. "I may not even have that soon," she said flatly. "Neji may not have told my father about Hidan, but if what you say is true, he won't be able to hide his injuries. They will ask me, and I will tell them about him. And…" She closed her eyes. "I don't know what will end up happening."

"I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. Hyuuga brought it on himself, Hinata. Remember that." He frowned.

"It's not about Neji," she murmured, then continued in a stronger tone, eyes opening to watch him. "I'm talking about my family's reaction to me seeing Hidan."

"There's nothing wrong with him," Kakuzu snapped immediately. Then he paused and scowled. "Okay, so there's a lot wrong with him. So?"

"Primarily? And the only real reason from my family's point of view?" Hinata's lip actually lifted in disgust. It was a new look. "He's not a Hyuuga."

Kakuzu scoffed. "They can go do their incest shit all they want. They can't tell you who to care about, or who to date, and if they try, I have no qualms with sending them into bankruptcy."

Silence reigned as Hinata soaked that one in. After a while though, she giggled. "Oh God," she snickered "The Hyuuga clan in financial need, lining up at the soup kitchens." She slapped both hands over her broad smile and turned her head to muffle her giggling fit.

Kakuzu added twenty to Hidan's escalating debt, and smirked. "Perhaps I'll give 'em fifty dollars on Christmas."

The girl clearly heard him, as her giggling hiccuped, and she came up gasping for air. "You're awful!" Red faced and conflicted, she was still smiling though.

They spent a the next while in silence as she settled down to think and he idly congratulated himself for not buying Hidan's burger immediately. A rustle of cloth brought his attention back to her.

"I should probably go find Hidan soon," Hinata said, sitting up to retie her ponytail as her eyes slid over to Kakuzu. "You know, for the whole, congrats and banning from beating on my cousin speech."

He nodded. "You probably should. Check the office first. Gai and Ibiki should have broken it up by now. At least, I hope so."

Nodding, Hinata pushed herself up from the beanbag and stood head cocked to the side for a beat. Then, she turned a warm gaze on him. "I don't feel like hiding anymore, Kakuzu. Thanks."

He shrugged. "My pleasure." Another twenty went on the albino's debt, and Kakuzu gave her a pleased smile.  _Definitely worth it._

xXx

Following Kakuzu's predictions, Hinata found herself waiting in the outer section of the principal's office.

She was all kinds of terrified just sitting in a chair. The receptionist was really nice though. Hinata had stuttered out her reason for being there and the dark-haired woman had gently smiled and mentioned that there was a water dispenser in the far corner and some caramel candies in her desk.

The Hyuuga had smiled back and seated herself. She would stay here until Hidan came out of Sarutobi's office. To hell with the rest of her afternoon classes.

The office was really quiet, and while Hinata was really not trying to listen, the murmuring from the other side of the door gave her some hope. At least Hidan wasn't yelling.

Silence fell for a moment, and Hidan's voice broke it, a little higher. "And I'm just supposed to f-fricking stand by while that jerk treats her that way?! How the hell is that fair?!"

Sarutobi-sensei's answer was much quieter, and almost impossible to make out. "Please watch your language, Hidan. I understand how you feel, but interfering would only make things worse for her." A pause followed, rife with tense frustration on the youth's end. "Hidan, you cannot do things like this, ever. This is not acceptable behavior, do you understand me? Hidan, please look at me."

Hidan growled. "Why? Why am I the one in trouble? Is it because I don't have that bastard's connections? That's it, right?" Sarutobi started to speak, but Hidan cut him off sharply. "Or is it cause I broke his wrist? Guess what,  _this_  is what I got for it. It's not like I filled that asshole full of holes!"

 _Forget pretending to be a statue!_  Hinata's head swung around as she stared wide-eyed at the closed door. Hidan was hurt! Okay, so was Neji, but… The word 'holes' bounced around in her head.

It didn't sound like Neji was in there with Hidan, and her cousin was obviously not out here, awaiting his turn. So, either Neji had his talk before Hidan or he was in the nurse's office.  
Hinata bit her lip. And Hidan was right. The Hyuuga protected their own… as far as she knew, her albino didn't have anyone.  _Well, he has Kakuzu. And the rest of his friends… and me. And maybe by extension, my friends._.. Hinata folded her hands in her lap and started to think really hard.

Sarutobi sighed. "I understand that, Hidan. Please calm down. Here, have a cookie." Then followed the sound of porcelain sliding on wood. "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to punish you.  _Both_  of you. Now, you can either have detention after school for the rest of this week and the next, or suspension for the same amount of time. Which is it?"

Hidan grumbled about work for a moment. "Suspension. It's not like I'm any use here anyway."

"Very well. You're dismissed. Please tell Shizune-san that I would like a word."

The sound of the door opening pulled Hinata out of her thoughts and she snapped her eyes up to see Hidan looking down at her.

"Hi," she said, smiling slightly.

He sighed. "Hey, goddess." He looked at the secretary. "He wants you." Then he ignored the woman and held his hand out to Hinata. "C'mon." The door closed behind Shizune. "I'm outta here. Come with me?"

There was no hesitation as Hinata placed her hand in his open palm.  _Screw classes right?_ She smiled a little more. And not like Neji at all. He had asked, not grabbed for her hand. Though… "Are you hurt?"

Hidan gestured toward his left eye, where it was starting to bruise, and grinned. "And I'm pretty sure the bastard fractured my collar-bone." He pulled her to her feet. "But no worries. I broke his hand, and then knocked the sonofabitch out." He tugged her out the door.

"Fractured—Hidan!" She yelped as they stepped out into the hallway. "Don't you need to get that looked at?" No slugging him in the shoulder until she found out which side Neji had gotten to.

"Tch, no. They can't do shit about it anyway, so what's the point? C'mooon, let's just fucking ditch. I'll treat you to fast food and then movies, deal?"

Hinata frowned at him. "Hey, I'm entitled to worry a little okay? And forget fast food, I'm getting you real food." Sliding an arm around his waist, she squeezed lightly. "You're still getting the movie though."

He grinned. "Not gonna argue. My place? We got a big screen." He wiggled his brows hopefully, even as the bell went off overhead, signalling the end of sixth period.

She snorted. "Well, definitely not going to be my place." First the bar, then the junk yard, now his home? "Promise not to grope me?"

He grinned even more at that. "Only if you beg me!" he replied as they reached his locker. He stopped and spun the lock. "There's just one rule for the house. You break it, you buy it. Well, I'll probably end up buying it, knowing Kakuzu…"

Standing off to the side, Hinata watched him pull various items from his locker. Thankfully, she had already stopped by her locker after leaving the washrooms.  _Which reminds me_ … "Does Kakuzu have a favourite food?"

Hidan shrugged, tossing the last of his crap in his bag before slamming the locker shut. "Beef stir fry, or inarizushi," he replied, and slung his bag over his shoulder. He spun the lock and then turned to her, catching sight of Itachi passing in the crowd. "Hey, we're leaving," he said as the Uchiha approached. "I kicked that Neji bastard's ass, so I'm suspended."

 _Suspended?_  Hinata blinked wide eyes at Hidan as Itachi tilted his head. She blinked again as a small smirk lifted the side of Itachi's lips.

"Your fan club will be thrilled about that, I'm sure," the Uchiha responded. Then he nodded and turned to go. "I will let the others know. We'll see you at work then."

"Yeah, okay," Hidan replied. "See ya." He turned his attention back to Hinata. "Shall we, goddess?"

xXx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeaaaaah... She's calling Kakuzu by his name. We could have added "-san" I suppose, but I think Hidan would find that so hilarious that it would be more trouble that Kakuzu's patience is worth.


	4. Sink It

Hidan swung the door of his apartment open with a flourish. "Welcome to the Zombie Den," he said, and gestured for her to go first. "Shoes off at the door, coats and bags go in the coat closet."

Hinata walked in, noting that the small space was much neater than she had expected. Stepping over to the side, she toed off her sandals. "Why Zombie?"

He snickered. "Deidara started calling Kakuzu and me that a while ago. It kinda stuck, I guess." He kicked off his shoes as he shut the door, then used a foot to shove them into some semblance of order. "So you mentioned food? I have a kitchen."

Tilting her head, Hinata watched him as he dropped his bag in the closet. "You live with Kakuzu?" she asked as she pulled her cell phone from her bag before tucking it in next to his.

Hidan shrugged. "Yeah." He moved into the apartment and flopped down on a big, ugly couch. But it was comfy.

"Just you two?" Hinata asked half aware of her wistful tone. Must be nice to be away from family obligations.

He nodded. "Ye-ep," he replied. "Deidara stayed for a month once, during one of his arguments with his mother." He got up and went over to a DVD stand. "What do you feel like watching?"

Thinking about who she was with and the mood that she was in, Hinata realized she just wanted to enjoy a few hours laughing. "Anything violent and funny?" She wandered over to the kitchen, flicking the light on as she went.

He eyed the rows of movies. "Jackie Chan? Got The Medallion, Accidental Spy and his movies with Owen Wilson."

"Surprise me," she called around the corner. Hm, if she was cooking lunch… Well, it depended on what was available.  _Thank you Tenten for the cooking lessons!_

 _The Medallion it is_ , he thought, and put the movie in.

"Hidan? What's this?" She stood with the fridge open, looking down at a pot full of… something.

Hidan poked his head into the room. "Oh, that's Kakuzu's chili surprise. The surprise is caramel," he said with a smirk. "It's awful."

"Caramel? In chili?" Hinata wrinkled her nose. "How did he get that idea?" The cool congealed mess filled most of the pot. "And why is it still in here?"

"Something about wasting money being a death punishable offense. Rather than argue, I've been waiting for it to come to life. Might need another week or two. Leave it there," he said, grinning the whole while.

She lifted horrified lilac eyes. "How long has it been brewing in its own juices?" The implications were frightening.

He paused to think about it. "A couple weeks–Hey, what are you doing?!" he yelped as she picked it up and started for the trash can.

She paused, tilted her head, and reconsidered what she was doing. Right, probably not the best idea. "Where's the washroom?"

He pouted. "But it's not zombie food yet!" he protested.

"Washroom, Hidan."

Hidan looked heartbroken, even as he pointed the way. "This is brutal, Hinata. And Kakuzu's gonna charge me for it!" he complained as he followed her down the hall to the bathroom.

"Ugh…" Hinata shuddered as she lifted the lid. The pot now perched on the counter, fully exposing… "Ugghhhhh." Men. No,  _boys_.

She leaned a little away, fingers reaching past Hidan to flick on the fan. "This is _disgusting_."

Though, incongruously, the bathroom itself was relatively clean.

Luckily, the toilet's lids were already left up (go figure), but that was for the best. She carefully poured the primordial soup (chili was supposed to be chunky wasn't it?) down into the waiting bowl and flushed.

Then she handed the empty stinking pot to Hidan. "I'll deal with Kakuzu. Really. Now please wash that." Hinata plucked the lid from where she had left it in the sink and fitted it onto the pot. "I'm going to pass out on the couch now."

He blinked and wandered after her. "Uh, okay. I'll go clean this…" He pouted and wandered into the kitchen.

Collapsing on the couch, Hinata leaned back and closed her eyes, a slight smirk on her lips. Ten minutes into his house and she was already creating chaos. Both Ino and Tenten would be congratulating her on getting Hidan to do chores before there was any cooking even started!

Speaking of cooking. She groaned as she got back up out of the really comfortable couch. It was softer than her bed! Hinata padded into the kitchen again.

Hidan glanced over at her. "Yo. Food time?" he asked hopefully.

She snorted. "Now that  _that_ is gone, yeah." She turned to look at the various cupboards. "So, what's available?"

He shrugged. "Whatever you can find. We have a lot of dried noodles, rice, a few potatoes… Hamburger meat, sausages, bacon…" He shrugged. "Whatever you can find."

Hinata began listing ingredients in her head as she opened the fridge. Eggs, some vegetables… What she was thinking about wasn't going to be a gourmet meal, but it would be fast.

However… "Should I trust your washing skills? Cuz I need a pot."

He put the now washed pot in the drainer. "I do half the chores. Don't worry about my capabilities. Pots are in the cupboard to the left of the stove."

xXx

An hour later found the two of them sitting on the couch, empty ramen bowls on the coffee table, Hinata laughing at Jackie Chan's antics.

Half an hour later, and she was dozing on Hidan's shoulder. Not that he minded.

And twenty minutes after that, Kakuzu came home. He quirked a brow at his roommate. Hidan smirked. "I gotta get to work. Keep an eye on her?"

"I work too," Kakuzu pointed out. At Hidan's  _I will bug you until you give in_  grin, he sighed. "Fine. You owe me two hundred bucks."

Hidan winced and carefully shifted her off him. "Money monger," he muttered, and stalked off for a shower. Not that it made much difference.

xXx

Awareness drifted in, and Hinata found herself wrapped up in a delicious sensation of warmth and softness. And unfortunately, really hungry.

She blinked at the ceiling above her and frowned. The wall wasn't familiar, neither was the rising swell of cushions to her right. As she shifted she noticed that she was fully clothed, though a soft blanket covered her from toes to shoulder.

The room was completely dark and off to the side she could hear the hum of a refrigerator.

She frowned.  _I was at school… Neji was–Oh, Hidan found out… and Kakuzu… so… Oh._ Oh  _shit!_  What time was it?

Glancing around, Hinata snatched her phone from the nearby coffee table and thumbed a button. The screen lit up. She could feel her face pale as she read the numbers. It was almost 3am.

She was still on Hidan's couch.

There was the muffled sound of arguing coming from the kitchen. Hushed voices. Hidan and Kakuzu. The sound of glass shattering, and a muffled curse. "I'll get the stitch wire," Kakuzu said, stalking out and down the hall. He didn't notice Hinata's state of wakefulness.

Scrubbing a hand over her face, the girl sat up and blinked some more. She briefly mourned the loss of heat as the blanket slid off her back, but she had other worries. Like standing.

Which seemed to mean a bit of wobbling.

Kakuzu came back through and paused. "Oh. She's awake," he said, heading back into the kitchen. "Keep your ass in that seat, idiot."

Hinata poked her head about the doorway and felt her eyes widen at the sight. There was blood splattered on the counters and the tiles, glass shards glinted from the floor, and in the middle of it was Hidan. He was perched on the edge of a chair, eyes a little bright, while Kakuzu was carefully maneuvering around the mess on the floor to reach his roommate.

Hidan spotted her and tried to curb his excitement at the pain in his bloody arm. "Oh, hey, sleepy head. Did you dream of me?" he asked, and winced when Kakuzu grabbed his wrist.

"No, sorry," Hinata responded, pale eyes tracing over the lines of the gash in his arm. "Can I help?" The question was more towards Kakuzu than the happily bleeding man.

"Make him sit still," Kakuzu grumbled, scowling as he tried to clean the masochist's arm.

Hinata frowned slightly. How was she going to do that? Still, she padded over to Hidan and looked down at him. "Why are you twitching?" she asked.

Hidan stifled a grin. "Uhhh… No reason."

One of her eyebrows rose, an idea forming. "Really?" She glanced down at Kakuzu, but he was wholly focused on the wound. "You seem to be wriggling a lot."

He gulped and gritted his teeth. "I can't help it!" he hissed. "Ahhhh, shiiiiitt…"

She leaned against a cupboard and blinked at him. "Actually, for a masochist, I figured you'd be wriggling  _more_." And then she smiled.

Hidan froze, eyes wide, and sputtered for a minute. Kakuzu managed to get the last stitch of five in place by the time Hidan whipped his head around to glare accusingly. "You told her!"

"She would have found out eventually," was the reply as Kakuzu mopped up the remaining blood on his friend's arm. "And it's not like she minds, clearly."

"She doesn't?" Hidan looked back at her hopefully. "You don't?"

Hinata sighed as she relaxed against the counter. Good thing shocking Hidan had worked. She hadn't really known what else to do.

Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she thought about Hidan's question, gaze taking in the blood and the glass and the puppy eyes. "I don't mind it," she said slowly, "but it's something to get used to." One side of her mouth quirked up. "I do have to admit though, it does suit you."

He grinned. "It is me, so of course it does," he replied, pleased. He paused, then frowned. "Did you wanna go home? We didn't want to wake you."

At that, Hinata winced. "I should have been home hours ago…" She had only slept outside of the house a handful of times. All in the company of only girls. All with a week's notice in advance.

She thunked the back of her head against the cupboard behind her. "I guess I'll take a cab."

Kakuzu shrugged. "If you go home in the middle of the night, they'll think you slept with him," he commented casually.

Hinata paled.

Hidan scowled at his roommate. "Shut the fuck up, dick," he snapped.

"Whatever. Goodnight," Kakuzu replied, and left the room before Hidan could come up with a retort.

Was he right? Hinata could see how that conclusion could be drawn. But, showing up in the morning wasn't much better either… Could she just sneak into the house? Possibly? She'd never tried the bedroom window before, but she knew it was possible. What if she just went to school as if nothing had happened? No, Ino would surely know she was in yesterday's clothing. That were probably rumpled.

Absently, Hinata focused further inward and chewed on the inside of her bottom lip.

"For the record, it's no one's goddamn business what you do," Hidan said. He was seriously getting sick of those Hyuuga bastards.

The girl hummed in response, but otherwise didn't respond.

Hidan got up and forcefully returned her attention to him… With a steamy kiss. But, true to his word, he didn't otherwise touch her. "Stop worrying. You can have my bed. I'll crash on the couch."

Head resting on Hidan's shoulder, nose buried against the side of his neck, Hinata took a moment to breathe. In gulps. The only worry she was dealing with was whether her legs would buckle if he let go of her.

It took a few more seconds, but she finally had enough air to speak. "No, the couch was fine. Fantastic actually." A comfy couch didn't mean she wanted to move though…

"You sure, goddess?" he asked teasingly. When she only nodded, he smirked and they lapsed into silence. A moment passed. "Can I ask you about something?"

"Mmmhmm," was Hinata's contented response from below his chin.

"Earlier… That blond guy, Naruto or whatever… Why did he ignore you?" he asked, frowning.

Sucking in a gasp, Hinata held her breath and stared at the pale skin just increments from her wide eyes. Thoughts scattered in her brain.  _How… But… Oh, fuck my life._  Hinata blinked. Where had that thought come from?

"That's fine. You don't have to talk about it," he said after a moment.

Inexplicably, Hinata began to giggle. "Can you blame me? The last guy I told you about who was ignoring me, you broke his wrist…" She sighed and then jerked away, eyes wide. "I'm sorry! Isn't your collarbone cracked?"

He grinned. "Space cadet," he teased.

"It's a valid question," she retorted, easing back, but not away. "Can we talk on the couch?" The counter top edge was reminding her that there were comfier places to be.

"Sure," he agreed, and let her back away so they could move rooms.

"So, what were you doing?" She motioned at the stitches in his arm that Kakuzu had slapped gauze and tape on.

He smirked. "Arguing. Pirates versus ninjas. Kakuzu is anti-ninja."

She blinked. "And the glass?"

"Beer bottle. Pirates use them as clubs," he replied, and sat on the couch.

Still standing, Hinata stared down at him with a look of dismay. "You two are insane," she muttered before sitting down next to him.

He snickered. "It's my best quality, you know."

"I'll keep that in mind." Hinata murmured, absently wrapping her arms around up-drawn knees. She pursed her lips for a second and organized her thoughts. "Naruto… never sees me, not as a friend, less than an acquaintance." She shook her head, a wry smile on her lips, "Just another body with a name in a school with hundreds of others."

Hinata rest her forehead on her knees, not daring to look at the boy next to her. She waited for the wave of depression to rise, but was a little surprised to feel nothing but indignant frustration. Maybe it was better this way, leaving the blond behind.

"He doesn't do it on purpose. He just doesn't see me," she added. Naruto was clueless, but he wasn't malicious.

Hidan nodded thoughtfully. "I was surprised. From what I know of him – which really isn't much, honestly – he didn't seem the type. Kind of empty-headed, but not needlessly mean. Stupid."

By the time he was finished, Hinata was nodding. "Very empty headed," she agreed. "He is so clueless. It seems that everyone else knew how I–uhm…" She mumbled something into her knees.

Hidan looked at her. "I missed that," he pointed.

She took another deep breath… and mumbled again. A slight bit louder.

"What was that? You wanna be tickled? No complaints here," he said, and dragged her into his lap, fingers tickling her stomach with a massive grin stretching his mouth.

Shock quickly passed into relief, followed shortly by panic. Hinata collapsed into giggles and tried to swat his hands away. "No! Sto-op!" she managed to sputter between gusts of laughter. She tried to wriggle away but he only grabbed hold of her hips and pulled her back in. "Hidan! I'll castrate you!"

He actually paused at that. "That is not funny, Hinata," he said seriously.

Panting, sprawled literally across his legs, the blue-haired girl grinned up at him. "I'll help Kakuzu sew it back on," she offered.

He scowled. "Still not funny," he replied, eyes narrowed. Then he smirked. "But I know how you can make me feel better."

This time Hinata's eyes narrowed. "I don't think I really need to apologize to you, Hidan…" she told him, cautiously sliding off his lap. "You're the one who started tickling me. I had to defend myself."

He pouted. "Awww, all I want is a little love. Is that too much to ask?"

Now seated a safe distance away, she crossed her arms and frowned at him, grumbling, "A little he says… What does a little love entail exactly?" she asked him.

 _Would she hit me if I said sex?_  he wondered.  _Only one way to find out_ … He grinned at her, shrugged and replied off-handedly, "Sex? For starters."

Hinata blinked, blushed bright enough to be seen in the dark, then abruptly paled. Of course he would ask for that, that was predictable. What startled her though was how willing she was to indulge him on his request.

Her eyes traced what features she could see of him, noting the grin, the hair, the eyes. He was nothing at all like any other man she'd dated. Nothing like Naruto. And she really did find him attractive.

Still… He didn't need to know that.

Huffing out a short sigh, Hinata tilted her head at him and smirked. Brushing the hair back from her face, she turned on the cushions and crawled back towards him.

His breath caught in his throat, mind going blank. What was she doing? Dare he hope she was actually going to sleep with him?

Settling back into his lap, Hinata gave him a cool look, one eyebrow quirked. "You know, your mind is constantly in the gutter," she told him calmly as she slid her palms up his chest and around the back of his neck. Her fingers were already twining into the soft hairs at his nape as she leaned in to brush her lips over his. "Just one question, Hidan."

He swallowed. "Sure," he agreed.

She smiled at him, eyes half-lidded, watching his mouth. "Where did Neji crack your collarbone?"

"Left side.. It hurts." He blinked. "Why?"

Her gaze drifted down to below his chin. "Can I see?" she asked him instead.

He nodded and nudged her forward, then tugged his shirt off one-handed. The right hand. He tossed it aside and leaned back again. On the left side of his upper chest was a bruise the size of an apple, dark and angry.

Frowning softly, Hinata shook her head. All thoughts of punching Hidan in the opposite shoulder evaporated almost as soon as the cloth exposed the first traces of the bruise. Yes, he had man-handled her into his lap and tickled her. Clearly, he was also a masochist, but that didn't mean she could just add to his injuries.

Change of tactics then.

Sliding around so that she straddled his legs, she leaned forward, one hand propped in his hip, the other braced on the back of the sofa. Moving slowly, carefully, she ghosted her lips over his shoulder and on the first traces of the bruise.

He made a soft sound in the back of his throat. Whether it was a pained groan or a pleasured moan was hard to tell.

The girl in his lap froze. "Good or bad?" Her warm breath tentative on his skin.

"Both," he muttered, watching her. "Masochist, remember?"

"Tell me if the bad outweighs the good then," she said, bringing her lips back down onto the bruise. Pausing after every light kiss for a verdict.

He chuckled softly, then inhaled sharply. "Should explain, maybe… Cause it's… Not that simple." He grabbed her biceps gently and forced her back a bit. "It's the pain that gets me. I still feel pain the same way everyone else does, Hinata. It hurts. But I crave it, love it… It's fantastic, and real… And it's one of the few things that another person can't possibly take away from me. You see?"

Hinata frowned, absorbing his words. "So, pain is a sensation. A pleasure for you. Something that only you can feel, because it's happening to your own body? Even so," she looked up into his eyes, trying to understand, "there must be a point where the pain is not worth the cause. There must be a threshold?" He wouldn't actually have sex with a broken bone, would he?

He shrugged. "Haven't found it yet," he replied. "Maybe I don't have one."

Hinata sat back, studying him. "Why me?" she asked him, confusion clear in her eyes. "I don't understand. I know my family is a whole clan of sadists," she smiled briefly, "but do I look like one? You search for pain, and you pick me?"

He sighed. "You caught my interest. Is there supposed to be a deeper meaning to it? I'm not the soul-searching type," he pointed out. "And besides, you haven't exactly pushed me away."

"That's because you haven't given me a reason to," she replied, then blinked. He really hadn't. She cast her eyes down on the bruise, the stitches, and back up to the black eye. She sighed. "Can we leave sex for until I understand this whole masochist thing?"

He sighed, but shrugged. "Sure."

Hinata blushed, eyes tracing over the lines of his torso. "And because I'm still nervous about that bruise, I think I'll concentrate on the other side," she said glibly, leaning over to place an open-mouthed kiss on the ball of his right shoulder.

He smirked. "Whatever makes you happy, goddess."

xXx

Tenten approached Hinata in between classes, frowning faintly. "Hinata? Neji said you didn't go home last night. What happened?"

"Uhm…" The pale girl glanced around, watching the other students drift past. "I-I, well, we, um… Can we talk somewhere," she motioned at the busy hallway, "quieter?"

Tenten nodded and dragged her friend into the nearby bathroom. "Okay. Spill."

"First–How is Neji?" She bit her lip, feeling horrible. This was her friend, who had encouraged her to date Hidan, who had hurt Neji… who Tenten was dating… for a long time. "I'm sorry, Tenten! I didn't know Hidan would hurt him."

Tenten sighed. "It's not your fault, Hinata. Boys will be boys. Neji's okay. Just a little bitchier than normal."

"You're sure?" she asked, searching her friend's eyes. She found nothing but patient assurance. "Okay…"

A little bit calmer, Hinata blushed bright red and promptly started to stutter. "W-we left sc-chool, and w-went to Hidan's pl-place," she blurted out. "Nothing happened!" she assured her wide-eyed friend. "I just fell asleep, on his c-couch. By th-the t-time I woke u-up, it was th-three."

She bit her lip, looked down, and blushed harder. "I–er,  _we_ talked. U-um. A-and then I w-went back to sleep." Her hands came up to flutter in the air before her. "Then came to school."

"And that's it." Her eyes flicked up to Tenten.

Tenten stared at her. "Damn that boy is fast," she muttered.

Hinata gaped at her. "He is not! I mean,  _I'm_ not. Cuz nothing happened!"

Tenten gave her a disbelieving look. "Right, okay. We should get to class, but don't think I'm through with you, missy! We will continue this conversation later."

The shorter girl blinked, and then grinned, darting forward to hug Tenten around the waist. "Definitely!" she chirped. Wait til she got around to telling her that Hidan had a fantastic set of abs!

Tenten smiled and hugged her back. "Good."

They were almost at the door, when Hinata paused. "I think I like him," she said softly.

Tenten didn't need to ask. "Good. It's about time you changed things up, ne?" She beamed.

xXx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for this side-story. Thanks for reading!
> 
> Next in this series is the sequel to Sand Trails - Upgrading!


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